Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD),
the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and the Office of Criminal Justice
Services (OCJS) recently produced a video for individuals who are deaf or have hearing
loss to explain how to obtain a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) with a
Hearing Exemption.

The video uses American Sign Language to
communicate with members of the deaf community so those interested in
commercial truck driving will know the steps needed to obtain a CDL. The video
can be viewed on the OOD and BMV websites at www.ood.ohio.gov and www.bmv.ohio.gov.

Last year, Ohio implemented a provision in
federal law that allows individuals who are deaf or have hearing loss the
opportunity to obtain a CDL with a hearing exemption. OOD, BMV and OCJS
partnered to develop procedures that allow individuals who qualify for a
hearing exemption waiver to train and test for a CDL.

“Individuals who are deaf or have hearing loss
are excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to participating in
this high paying in-demand occupation,” said OOD Executive Director Kevin
Miller.

Since implementing the new CDL testing process,
Ohio has received interest from individuals with hearing loss wanting to learn
more about pursuing a CDL. Currently, 11 individuals have successfully obtained a CDL with
hearing exemption license.

The truck driving industry is an in-demand
occupation supporting Ohio’s economy and will greatly benefit from a larger
pool of qualified candidates. To find out more about an in-demand career in the
trucking industry, visit OhioMeansJobs.com.

On May 17th House Bill 115, sponsored by
Representatives Theresa Gavarone (Bowling Green) and Scott Wiggam (Wooster), was unanimously voted out of the House of
Representatives 93-0. The bill’s sponsors provided testimony on June 6th
in the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee. “The goal of this legislation
all along was to improve communication between law enforcement and those with
communication disabilities,” Gavarone said. “There’s no doubt we accomplished
that and I look forward to this bill moving through the Senate and getting to
the Governor’s desk.”

This proposal will help avoid a situation that could become
harmful by providing law enforcement information about a driver or the occupant
of a vehicle who may have a communication disability through Law Enforcement
Agencies Data System (LEADS). A multitude of organizations have already
publicly supported HB 115 including the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association,
Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Ohio Coalition for the Education of
Children with Disabilities, National Alliance on Mental Illness, The Arc of
Ohio and the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence.

Senate
Bill 144 Introduced

Senator Dave Burke (Marysville) introduced
Senate Bill 144 on May 3rd and provided sponsor testimony to the
Government Oversight and Reform Committee on June 6th. The proposal
will streamline the OOD Commissioners, the Governor's Council on People with
Disabilities and the Consumer Advisory Committee into a single, more inclusive
State Rehabilitation Council that will provide feedback to OOD on vocational rehabilitation
services. The State Rehabilitation Council will be called the OOD Council. The
Ohio Centers for Independent Living, American Council of the Blind of Ohio,
Disability Rights Ohio, Deaf Services Center, Inc. and Autism Society of Ohio
have provided letters of support to Senator Burke’s office.

OOD job seeker Alex Munka shared his video resume with employers at the Akron job fair on May 11th.

OOD recently held two job fairs with a combined 320 job seekers and 56

participating employers.

The first job fair, hosted by Wright State University, was
held on May 4th. More than 200 OOD job seekers and 35 employers
attended the job fair.

OOD job seeker Marc Shackleford was excited to attend the
event. “Coming to the job fair is a good experience. The training I received
the week before made me feel prepared.”

There was a wide range of companies and industries in attendance.
Companies participating were involved in everything from retail and banking to
construction and local universities.

Miami University representative Leigh Swigart said OOD job
fairs are her favorite job fairs to attend. “It’s always a good turnout, job
candidates are always prepared and they know what type of positions they are
looking for.”

OOD’s second job fair
was held on May 11th and was hosted by Akron General Health and
Wellness Center. More than 120 OOD job seekers and 21 employers participated.

OOD job seeker Alex Munka created a unique experience for
potential employers - a video resume to showcase his skills. In his video
resume he demonstrates copying, filing, answering phones and mail runs. Alex
is seeking a job in an office environment where he can use these skills. To
view Alex’s video resume, visit https://youtu.be/dd-x8vd3ovU.

For more information about hiring individuals with
disabilities, call OOD’s HiringAbility Hotline at 866-895-0058
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or contact an OOD business relations team member. If you have a disability and want to work, visit OODWorks.com to get
started on your journey to employment.

DDD Professional Relations Officer Amy Coverdale presenting DDD’s Fast Track program to social workers at OSU’s James Cancer Hospital.

OOD’s Division of Disability Determination (DDD) Fast Track
program is a collaboration between DDD and the Social SecurityAdministration (SSA). The goal is to
expedite disability decisions for individuals who are critically ill within 20
days of application. Military casualty claims are also assigned to this unit.
These cases involve individuals with any alleged disability who were on active
duty on or after October 1, 2001.

Representatives from DDD participated in an information
sharing session that included Fast Track cases with 50 social workers from The
Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital. The SSA disability claims process
is an intricate system which relies on the cooperation and participation of multiple
parties. For further information about these types of cases, visit www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances or www.ssa.gov/woundedwarriors.

The Business Enterprise
Program (BEP) held their annual statewide conference on May 5th
with the Ohio Vendors Representative Committee’s (OVRC) annual meeting on May 6th.
Ninety BEP operators, prospective operators
in training, BEP staff, speakers and special guests attended the conference.

The conference offered an opportunity for members to network,
gave updates on the Randolph Sheppard Act, and provided professional
development in marketing, vending trends, assistive technology, security and much
more. In addition, BEP operators were recognized for their years of service.

OOD employees went above and beyond with this year’s Operation Feed donations.
Last year’s results were 22,498 meals. This year’s goal was to reach 24,478
meals in any combination of donated food or dollars. Thanks to the efforts of our co-chairs Heidi Krukowski and Adam Elkire, along with the overwhelming generosity of OOD employees, the agency reached 37,972 meals for Operation Feed. That’s
55% above the goal! Way to go OOD!

At OOD’s recent Excellence in Service and Employee Recognition event, 10
staff members from across the state were honored for performing
above and beyond in their efforts to improve customer satisfaction and job
performance as well as encouraging creativity, innovation and initiative.

Fiscal Management - John Nguyen is a program
administrator, who provides the agency with detailed data analysis and reporting which impacted
a wide range of OOD business efforts to improve efficiencies and services to consumers and businesses.

Human Resources - Jonathan Rollings is a technology
based training developer, who developed a new learning management system that improved the learning and retention of disability claims adjudicators. He also led the creation of an E-Learning Design & Development Guide to help communicate and train professionals at a statewide level on industry standard e-learning practices.

Division of Disability Determination - Eric
Zirger,a disability claims adjudicator, was recognized for his commitment to building better programs and improving services to customers. He assisted with the rollout of a new national case processing system, serves as an active member of the Director's Advisory Group and mentors new disability claims adjudicators.

Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation - 5-County
Transition Expo Planning and Leadership Team: Cynthia Crews, Kimberly
Colyer, Kerri Stickney, Vicki Grozier and Kyna Johnson - This team, consisting of
VR supervisors, counselors, a caseload assistant and a business relations specialist,
worked countless hours to host an innovative, first-of-its kind Transition Expo
for students of Adams, Brown, Clinton, Fayette and Highland Counties to engage with employers and network. Their vision of investing in these students and their community established a prototype for expansion and replication in other parts of Ohio.

With
a master’s degree in hand and a strong desire to work with people, OOD
participant Ernie Berry did not think that finding and keeping a job would be
too difficult when he applied for services to OOD’s Bureau of Services for the
Visually Impaired (BSVI) in 2013. He obtained a work-from-home job that fit the
needs of mobility and visual limitations. However, the job did not provide the
human interaction Ernie wanted.

“Ernie
was a joy to work with. He was determined to locate employment. Even when he
was discouraged in his job search, he was open to OOD's suggestions,” said
Ernie’s OOD counselor Audrey Mueller.

When
Ernie turned to the Tiffin Community YMCA last year for a front desk job, the
words “you’re over qualified” lead him to think that he was not going to be
offered a job. What followed was a job offer to help develop programming for
the YMCA youth initiative/diversion program. Ernie was thrilled to mentor youth and
help them avoid making some of the mistakes he made. In November, Ernie was
hired as a director of Juvenile Programs.

“Ernie
was very excited and passionate about developing the needed curriculum for the
juvenile program. The Tiffin YMCA was a great match to Ernie's strengths and
abilities,” says Mueller. He has developed additional programs to help bring in
more youth to the YMCA, to the satisfaction of himself and his employer.If you have a disability and want to work, visit OODWorks.com to begin your path to employment.

Online retail giant Zappos announced its launch of a special
section to highlight functional and fashionable products
designed to make life easier for individuals who have challenges getting
dressed. The new collection, dubbed Zappos Adaptive, features items that are
reversible pieces soft to the touch, clothing without tags, and buttons and
zippers. For more information, visit www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/05/01/zappos-help-shoppers-special/23644.

The Governor's Council on People with
Disabilities (GCPD) annually recognizes businesses, groups and individuals who
have significantly contributed to employment opportunities and community
involvement for people with disabilities. For more information about the GCPD awards, visit gcpd.ohio.gov/Awards.

Please share this
publication and encourage others to subscribe to the OOD Focus
E-newsletter on our website. Also
be sure to join us on Twitter, Facebook
and YouTube.